Ammonia Avenue
1984 album by The Alan Parsons Project
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Ammonia Avenue is the seventh studio album by the British progressive rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released in February 1984 by Arista Records. The Phil Spector-influenced "Don't Answer Me" was the album's lead single, and it reached the Top 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, as well as the fourth position on the Adult Contemporary chart. The single also reached the Top 10 in several countries, including Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.[5]
| Ammonia Avenue | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 February 1984[1] | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios, London, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:22 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Producer | Alan Parsons | |||
| The Alan Parsons Project chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Ammonia Avenue | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
"Prime Time" was the album's second single and reached No. 34 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "You Don't Believe" had previously appeared on The Best of the Alan Parsons Project and was issued as that album's first single in November 1983, reaching No. 54 in the US and No. 43 in Canada.
Ammonia Avenue is one of the band's biggest-selling albums, carrying an RIAA certification of gold and reaching the Top 10 in a number of countries.[6]
Background and release
The title of the album was inspired by Eric Woolfson's visit to Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in Billingham, England, where the first thing he saw was a street with miles of pipes, no people, no trees and a sign that read 'Ammonia Avenue', whose portrait was used for the front cover. The album focuses on the possible misunderstanding of industrial scientific developments from a public perspective and a lack of understanding of the public from a scientific perspective.[7] This album was the second of three recorded on analogue equipment and mixed directly to the digital master tape.[citation needed]
"You Don't Believe" had already been released as both a single and a new song on 1983's The Best of the Alan Parsons Project compilation.[8]
Critical reception
Music Week said that Ammonia Avenue was an "excellent AOR album, about as pop as APP is likely ever to get."[9] Billboard felt that the band's sound had been "fully established" with the release of Ammonia Avenue, adding that "only minor revisions can be detected with each new set", manifesting in songs in a "stately, soft-rock vein that has brought widespread pop acceptance and platinum sales".[10]
Reissue
Ammonia Avenue was remastered and reissued in 2008 with bonus tracks, and in 2020 as well, on Blu-Ray audio format, including a high-definition remaster in stereo and multichannel sound, and the two promotional videos of the album as a bonus.[11] In 2024, the album was again completely remastered.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prime Time" | Eric Woolfson | 5:03 |
| 2. | "Let Me Go Home" | Lenny Zakatek | 3:20 |
| 3. | "One Good Reason" | Woolfson | 3:36 |
| 4. | "Since the Last Goodbye" | Chris Rainbow | 4:34 |
| 5. | "Don't Answer Me" | Woolfson | 4:11 |
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dancing on a Highwire" | Colin Blunstone | 4:22 |
| 2. | "You Don't Believe" | Zakatek | 4:26 |
| 3. | "Pipeline" | Instrumental | 3:56 |
| 4. | "Ammonia Avenue" | Woolfson | 6:30 |
- 2008 Bonus Tracks
- "Don't Answer Me" (Early Rough Mix)
- "You Don't Believe" (Demo)
- "Since the Last Goodbye" (Chris Rainbow Vocal Overdubs)
- "Since the Last Goodbye" (Eric Guide Vocal – Rough Mix)
- "You Don't Believe" (Instrumental Tribute to The Shadows)
- "Dancing on a Highwire/Spotlight" (Work in Progress)
- "Ammonia Avenue Part 1" (Eric Demo Vocal – Rough Mix)
- "Ammonia Avenue" (Orchestral Overdub)
Personnel
- Ian Bairnson – electric and acoustic guitars
- Colin Blunstone – vocals on 6
- Mel Collins – saxophone on 5, 8
- Stuart Elliott – drums, percussion, Simmons toms
- Alan Parsons – Fairlight CMI on 1, 5, 7 & 8, LinnDrum on 7
- David Paton – electric bass
- Andrew Powell – orchestral arrangements and conducting
- Chris Rainbow – backing vocals on 1 & 5, vocals on 4, keyboards on 5
- Eric Woolfson – Wurlitzer piano, piano, synths, keyboards, Fairlight, vocals on 1, 3, 5 & 9
- Lenny Zakatek – vocals on 2, 7
- Christopher Warren-Green – The Philharmonia Orchestra leader
- Storm Thorgerson – album cover design
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[31] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[32] | Platinum | 400,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[33] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[34] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[35] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||